Biology

Physiology

Shellder's two shells are a purplish-blue color and has two spikes on the top and also on the underside. They use their two shells for propulsion by opening and closing them rapidly. Shellder has a large, red tongue which serves as a means for burrowing. It is unknown what Shellder looks like inside its shell, seeing as only its large, disk-like eyes are discernible from within, but what is known is that its body inside is tender.

Gender differences

None.

Special abilities

Shellder's shell is harder than diamond and can withstand powerful attacks. When sand combines with the body fluids inside of Shellder, beautiful pearls are formed. As clamping on to an opponent reveals its vulnerable parts, it uses the move only as a last resort. When a Shellder latches onto the tail of a fishing Slowpoke, the two Pokémon undergo a molecular transformation as a Slowbro is created and the Shellder changes in appearance. Likewise, if a Shellder bites a Slowpoke on the head due to the attraction of a King's Rock or some other reason, that Slowpoke will instead become a Slowking, the poison from the Shellder making it extremely intelligent.

Behavior

Its tongue is always hanging out, as it sits on the sea floor. Shellder swims facing backward by opening and closing its two-piece shell. When Shellder sleeps it uses its broad tongue to burrow a hole in the sand and then sleeps in it. While Shellder is sleeping, it closes its shell, but leaves its tongue hanging out. Shellder are apparently attracted to the King's Rock since it is this item that makes the Shellder bite Slowpoke on the head and transform it into a Slowking.

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Trivia

In the anime, Shellder is required to evolve Slowpoke into Slowbro or Slowking. Shellder clamps onto a Slowpoke's tail to evolve into Slowbro, or onto its head while wearing the King's Rock to evolve into a Slowking. Even though Shellder changes form drastically when it bonds with Slowpoke to evolve (see right), it is not considered an evolution in and of itself.

Some of Slowbro's Pokédex entries states that if the Shellder becomes detached, it will devolve back into a Slowpoke, one of the very few references to devolution.

The change in Shellder's evolution when linked to a Slowpoke seems to only occur when attached to a 'living' part of the creature, as with the introduction of the item Slowpoketail in Generation II does not force a spiral evolution as one might suspect.

Shellder's shiny form is golden-brown, as is the attached Shellder in Slowbro's shiny form. It is not a different color at all on Slowking's shiny form.

In the games, Slowpoke evolves into Slowbro merely by leveling up, and into Slowking via trading with said King's Rock, although the transformed Shellder is still seen in the evolved form. The reason for this inconsistency is unknown.